Stuck In The Case

They were just children who got a taste of the harshness of this world and the torment that most of us will probably never experience. What sick, twisted mind could do such a thing? Marek saw in their young faces, which could still be recognized, the people they used to be.

He could picture them as small children, growing up in loving families, enjoying life, going to school. He also noticed the old small scars, which they probably got during childhood mischiefs. It broke his heart, and every time he had to go tell the parents this terrible news, he felt incredibly sick. It seemed to him, that with every other victim, it became more difficult to talk to their families.

He felt a heaviness in his chest and a lump in his throat. He witnessed the parents, as if in slow motion, how they began to break down right before his eyes, as soon, as they saw him. When Dara disappeared after Anna Maria, he became insecure. He had a numb feeling; they immediately secured the place, where she was last seen. He tried to find out something from the nearby cameras, but nothing. How was that even possible?

Her body was found a week later on the river bank. Someone held her head underwater, but all they found out was, that it was not water from the river, but from the water pipes that flowed all around; in every house in the town. Again, they didn't find anything proper.

Sarah disappeared just before Dara's body was found. The poor thing suffered in the claws of that monster for only two days. He probably didn't like her very much, since she was found hanging from a tree on the outskirts of the town so soon. The fresh bruises and lacerations indicated that the killer must have had a real run-in with her.

Margareta was probably the first and only one who lasted three weeks. The beast literally executed her with a shot to the back of her head. In his eyes, she must have done something wrong to do something like that. The ammunition was homemade and the inside of the barrel was filled down. The hope, about the caliber or other clues like about the owner of the firearm, would be dashed.

Katrina also lasted only two weeks. He probably suffocated her with a pillow or a bag. He looked over and over at the pictures of the dead girls. The soulless looks of the poor victims pierced his heart very deeply. They were young and had their whole world ahead of them.

The last kidnapped girl, Victoria, was only sixteen years old. So far, he only had a few clues about the serial killer. First, he was obsessed with the doll style, and second, he liked young teenage girls. Before killing his victims, he tortured and beat them. He executed them in a terribly brutal way and they suffered for a long time, before the death came for them and put them out of their misery.

Marek already knew, that he could not solve this case by himself. He remembered one person who could possibly help him. The man used to be an excellent detective, unfortunately, he gave up this profession after the incident that took his son. He was murdered by a criminal he caught in the past.

Marek saw him for the last time ten years ago, but he always wanted to try it. He packed all the documents and booked a room in Prague. He quickly ran to his car and set off on his way to the capital of the Czech Republic. While he was driving, he planned in advance, what exactly he was going to say; how to convince him; asks for help, but he wasn't sure if Michal would offer his wisdom.

He had a little trouble finding his old school in Prague. After all, it's been a long time since he graduated and became a detective. When he finally stood in front of the school; old memories began to surface. However, he couldn't waste time and just entered the building. The receptionist sent him to Michal's office to wait for him there, until the end of the lesson.

Marek nostalgically walked the corridors of the university. He carefully opened the door to his mentor's office. Mr. Musil's office was furnished in a rustic, dark brown color. After entering the room, he stood opposite of the window, which had long dark blue curtains.

To the right were the library shelves reaching up to the ceiling, filled with professional criminology literature. Directly in front of them stood a solid wood table with his computer and lamp on it. The chair was on wheels and had a dark blue cover.

To the left of the room stood cabinets with teaching aids. On top of them laid a skull and a few scented candles in different shapes. A carpet with dark blue ornaments lay in the middle of the room. The walls were decorated with old photos of his former students and friends.

He sat down on the couch under the window and looked around. A smile appeared on his face. He felt, as if he was ten years younger, as the photos from his school days, which were hung all around and contained the faces of people, which were familiar to him.

After fifteen minutes, the bell rang for the end of the class for the students. Michal reached his office. He was pleasantly surprised to see Marek after such a long time. They shook hands and there was also a hug. "Marek, what brings you here? You could have shown up earlier." Marek became serious. “I came to ask you for a favor. I'm stuck in a very complicated case..."

Michal stopped him with his hand. He shook his head for a NO. "I can not help you. I don't do things like that anymore. You know very well why and you should respect that." Marek just nodded gently. He didn't want to force him into anything, that might bring back the bad memories and trauma he went through years ago.

They were suddenly interrupted by a girl with books in her arms, as she entered the study and began looking through the documents on the table. Both men turned to her...